Late Night Lions Den (Rhian and Louis)

Setting her Transfiguration book on the floor beside her, Rhian stood to stretch her legs. It was late, almost one o'clock in the morning. With a Hogsmeade weekend starting tomorrow, she knew that most students would be getting a jump on sleep to be up early. It was the perfect time to work on her N.E.W.T.S.

She pulled her sweater closed, trying to keep the warmth in her body that the fire had given. The room was quiet, which was pleasant enough, but verging on stifling. Moving towards the closest window, she opened the latch and pushed on the pane. Cold, biting wind brushed gently against her face. The fresh air was welcome. Her favorite part of the winters here was the dual sensations of the warmth and the cold.

The moon was almost full, illuminating the grounds below. It was snowing lightly, but it was enough to fill in the footprints from the day. She tried to relax, to take in the calm of it all. With so many things going on in her life, N.E.W.T.S. work seemed to become harder and harder.

One thought kept her going, though. In less than six months, she'd be out of here. And starting whatever her life awaited her.

Louis was tired. He took slow, small steps as he made his way to the common room. His good night sleep seemed like a distant dream, because the common room seemed so far, and he still needed to study for his tests. He thought he should just take it easy tonight, and just relax. He was very fortunate that no one had caught him out after curfew.

When Louis finally made it to the welcoming common room, he muttered the password, and stepped inside. He saw a young girl sitting in an armchair, with long brown hair that fell in waves. She was wearing a sweater which she had closed. It was getting chilly, and Louis wished he could hibernate just like animals could.

"Hello there." the Lion said as he sat down in an armchair near the girl, and relaxed. "How's your night going?"

Louis hoped he didn't disturb the girl, because the Transfiguration book near her had made it look like she was studying. Most Lions studied, at least the studious ones. But Louis was just one of those people who would just try it with about 2 hours of studying in total, and still get a good score.

Rhian made her way back to her chair once more. She'd spent the last bit of study time sprawled out on the rug by the fire, but the stone floor underneath was making her joins cramp a bit. Some time sitting like a normal person couldn't hurt.

Just as she was bending to get her book, she heard the portrait open. Checking her watch, her eyebrow rose at the late hour. She should probably say something to the student, as a Prefect, but she couldn't bring herself to care right now. Too many hours in her books had taken that away. Besides, it was her night off.

"Hey," she offered the boy, smiling warmly at him. She was still a bit fuzzy on names now and then, if they weren't in classes together. Since getting the position, she'd tried to learn as many as possible, but some of the less social of her house were hard to nail down.

"Just studying my brains out for N.E.W.T.S. What are you doing up so late?" Tucking her notes into the book, she closed the cover, happy for the bit of distraction. Nestling further into the cushions of the plush chair, she rested her head against one of the wing-back sides. "I'm sorry, I don't quite remember you're name. I'm Rhian."